By Charles Geary,Fiona Broom
Copyright abc
A remote Northern Territory hotel at the centre of a raft of true crime documentaries and podcasts has a new owner.
The 95-year-old Larrimah Hotel and the tiny population of the surrounding town captured the world’s imagination after Paddy Moriarty and his dog Kellie disappeared from the pub in December 2017.
The following year, Steve Baldwin became the new publican.
But he has now sold the business — along with crocodiles Sneaky Sam and Agro, and a handful of emus.
Last stop Larrimah
Larrimah is about 180 kilometres south of Katherine on the edge of the Stuart Highway, which runs from Adelaide to Darwin.
The hotel — also known as the Larrimah Wayside Inn and the Pink Panther pub — serves a population of around 12 people.
The hotel building was relocated to Larrimah from nearby Birdum in 1957, where it developed a character of its own.
The story goes that sometime in the 1960s, a puddle formed in front of the outback pub, which became known as Larrimah Lake.
A giant Pink Panther with a fishing rod was installed, and a local icon was born.
However, the pub shot to global attention when 70-year-old Paddy Moriarty and his kelpie Kellie vanished from the pub on December 16, 2017.
Extensive searches were carried out and a $250,000 reward was offered, but neither Mr Moriarty nor his dog were found.
In 2022, a coroner ruled that Mr Moriarty, who worked at the Pink Panther pub, was “likely killed” over a feud with neighbours.
But the NT Director of Public Prosecutions announced last year it would not lay any charges due to “insufficient evidence”.
New chapter for outback pub
Laura Ragless will take over the iconic outback pub in a couple of weeks, with plans to offer fuel to road trains, caravans and cars traversing the heart of the country.
Ms Ragless is no stranger to outback hospitality; she is also the owner of the Stuarts Well Roadhouse, south of Alice Springs.
While Ms Ragless did not disclose what she paid for the Larrimah Hotel, she told the ABC’s NT Country Hour she expected the business to be profitable.
Town likely to expand
While Larrimah is famous for its tiny population, the pub could soon have a new group of punters from the nearby 5,700-hectare Larrimah Agricultural Precinct under development.
According to the NT government, the precinct will bring an economic boost to the region, with new jobs and opportunities expected to attract people from across Australia.
Ms Ragless said she planned to preserve the Larrimah Hotel’s unique personality for locals and travellers.
“I’m not coming to change how it is,” she said.
